Human Resources Over the Last Several Years,

Human Resources

Over the last several years, social workers have been continually involved in various societal problems. This is because they are serving as someone who is a go between for the government and those individuals that are being impacted by a series of incidents. To include: domestic violence, substance abuse and sexual assault just to name a few. This is significant, because it is highlighting how social workers are facing a number of different challenges. To fully understand their shifting roles requires looking at: the discontinuity between policy / practice, how communities are incorporating inclusive approaches and examining decision making in relation to re-storying. These different elements are important, because they are showing how the role of social workers is constantly changing to meet the needs of society and various governments.

Give an example of a discontinuity between policy and practice that might benefit from reframing of the sort recommended by shared decision-making.

A good example of this can be seen with what is happening in Alberta with Canadian oil shale. This is a rock like substance that can be heated and converted into crude oil. The problem is that the government's policy in this area has been uneven, as they are encouraging Canadian companies to take the lead in accessing these natural resources. However, beneath the surface the government has allowed foreign-based firms to have access to these areas and build pipelines to locations outside of Canada.

Evidence of this can be seen with Keystone XL (an American-based firm) who plans to build a pipeline from Alberta to the Texas coast. The basic idea behind this approach is to open these areas up to direct foreign investment. The problem is that the government has a discontinuity in its preferences of Canadian companies and the need for foreign direct investment capital. Shared decision making could resolve the situation by taking all-encompassing approach. As, you are looking at these different viewpoints from that of stakeholders to include: the community, the views of foreign / Canadian-based firms and government officials. Once this occurs, is when the government can create policies that will take these different viewpoints into account. (Toews, 2011)

How might policy communities best incorporate inclusive approaches?

To best incorporate these approaches into each other is you have to examine different elements in conjunction with one another. These include: challenging the citizens of the community to do more, having leaders participate in all aspects of the project, using the experiences of staff members to solve issues facing the organization, focusing on meeting the needs of public with less bureaucracy and seeking out a mindset that is optimizing performance. These different elements are important, because the combination of them will have communities and government officials working together to address the underlying problems. Once this takes place, is when there is positive transformation in the kinds of services constituents are receiving. ("All Inclusive Approaches to Policy Making," n.d.)

In what ways is shared decision-making similar to reframing and re-storying?